Travel Notes丨We are here in the Northwest

We started setting off at around 8 a.m. and headed to Chaka Salt Lake. Even though it’s early, there are many people ahead of you. After discussion, we decided to take the small train in and see if we can take the small train out. So I ordered and purchased tickets on the spot and queued up to take the train. Sitting on a small train, we looked at the salt fields along the way and the people walking on the road next to them. They were the scenery in our eyes, and we were the scenery in their eyes. Getting closer and closer to the center of the lake, I saw many people getting into the water and taking pictures of the sky. We got off the train and looked for a piece of land to take a beautiful photo of the sky. You know, the temperature in the northwest is now in the single digits, especially early in the morning, when the temperature is even lower. If you want to take pictures, you have to go into the water, and if you want to go into the water, you have to take off your shoes, and we didn’t hesitate at all. When you get into the water, the cold water passes through your feet, allowing you to experience what it means to feel cool. I entered the water with great interest, but after a few steps I found that I couldn't walk. The main reason was that the salt particles under the water, which was less than 30 centimeters deep, were clinging to my feet. I had already guessed it, because my feet would never directly step on such hard materials. Something I can't stand. Later, I took off my X-Feng shoes and reluctantly walked far enough to take pictures of them. In the past, I foolishly thought that the buoyancy of the water here could support a person and float freely on the water like a god. It really gave the impression of floating on the water. Small trains, railway tracks, and the wide salt lake water surface, these scenery can easily take a beautiful photo. As time approached, we had to walk all the way out and take pictures.

 

Small train at Chaka Salt Lake

 

 

 

 

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salt sculpture

 

 

 

 

The master saw us coming back and said, "You are so lucky today. The weather is sunny, with blue sky and white clouds. The few times we came here before, it was either rainy or cloudy, but there was no such weather at all." I smiled happily. Thank you for the good weather these days, I hope it will be the same in the next few days.

The next step is to cross the Qaidam Basin to Daqaidan, a journey of nearly 500 kilometers. Along the way, the straight road is lined with low bushes, scattered sporadically in the vast desert. I looked out the car window again and looked at this masterpiece of nature. I was used to seeing tall buildings, but the endless natural landscape was really shocking. Suddenly the master pointed to the side and said, "Look, that's a wild camel!" I turned around and looked for just a second and missed it. Later, I checked the information on the Internet and found that wild camels are a national first-level protected animal. The number is currently very small. I was lucky to encounter one today. Along the way, the master also told us some stories about him and this section of the road.

It was close to 19 o'clock when we arrived at Emerald Lake. Although it was already 19 o'clock, the sun was still high. The sunset here was late, so we came at the right time, the best time to take pictures. I heard that the lake here is green, so the curious babies immediately went to find out. It is understood that the color of the Emerald Lake is related to the concentration of minerals contained in the lake and weather conditions. The color of the Emerald Lake will be different in different time periods. I walked around and finally saw the legendary green. It really depends on the angle. It was not until later that we discovered that we were only looking at a small area of ​​Emerald Lake in a small basin. Walking up to it, its surroundings are even more spectacular. As the sun sets, the remaining light shines on the mountains, showing a red color, which is really amazing. Coupled with the color of the lake, it is natural. When the sun sets and the afterglow remains, the sky turns golden. You can take beautiful silhouette photos with just a snap. It wasn't until the last trace of sight disappeared that we drove back to Dachaidan to find the B&B.

 

I went out before dawn in the morning, it was seven o'clock. The master is mainly worried about the traffic jam at the checkpoint later, so starting early is a safer choice. Sure enough, when we arrived at the checkpoint, there were already many vehicles queuing up. The passengers in our car had to get off the car and go to the nearby cabin to check their ID cards one by one, and finally returned to the car to set off for the first scenic spot of the day. The place we are going to is Qinghai Eight Immortals Yadan. There is no charge there. When we drive there, there are Yadan landforms on both sides of the road. I just discovered that this is not the place I came to when I was a junior in college. I remember that there were many colorful rocks under my feet when I walked there, but now it is all dirt. Later I remembered that I had gone to Yadan Devil City in Dunhuang. The yellow mounds here and the cloudless sky are really a good color combination. We climbed several mounds, wanting to climb high and look far into the distance, overlooking the endless Yadan landform. This is really a work of art, carving out so many magnificent natural and cultural landscapes.

 

Yadan landform

 

We will set off at ten o'clock, and we still have to pass through the Qaidam Basin highway. On the way we will pass by a section of the road that is said to be the most beautiful. There are many vehicles stopping there and there are many people taking pictures on the other side of the road. This is a two-way road with intervals. The reason why it is beautiful is probably because you can see the continuous snow-capped mountains at the end of the straight road. Under such a background, you can take photos that you are satisfied with. Of course we are no exception, join in and check in regularly. After staying for a while, we continued walking towards Dunhuang, another journey of several hundred kilometers. After a few hours' drive, there is always something different. Thinking that today is the National Day, October 1st, we will sing to celebrate and wish the motherland prosperity, peace and prosperity. Then the melody of "My Motherland and Me" sounded, and we sang together. Basically, we sang all the familiar patriotic songs all the way to Dunhuang.

 

 

 

 

 

The correct way to open our party

We arrived in Dunhuang City at around 18 o'clock. When the master drove the car near where we lived, I exclaimed, isn't this a place I have been to before? It turns out we live a few hundred meters next to the Dunhuang Night Market. I remember the art inspection in my junior year. We also went to the night market at night. I remember all the roads I walked. I didn’t expect that today, a few years later, I would visit for the second time and it would feel like revisiting the old place. At that time, the deepest impression that Dunhuang gave me was the clean and tidy streets here. Among the cities I walked through, there was no city like Dunhuang where there was no litter or leaves on the streets. This was the impression of the city it gave me. After arriving at the hotel, we repaired ourselves and then invited us to go out to the night market to eat.

We set off to the Dunhuang Digital Exhibition Center very early in the morning, and then visited the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Since I had already gone in during my junior year, I decided not to visit again this time. I thought that when they came to visit the cave, I could play outside and wait for them. After seeing the Digital Exhibition Center, they were directly taken to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes by car. It turned out that there was a distance between the two places. I didn’t know there was a Digital Exhibition Center before, so these were not part of my plan. If I had known this situation earlier, I would have gone with the master to eat grapes at his friend's place. I waited alone in the Digital Exhibition Center for an hour in vain, and they didn’t know when they would come back. So I walked outside and decided to storm over to the Dunhuang Museum. I have never been to the Dunhuang Museum, so I can go there now to make up for it. Anyway, I have plenty of time, so I used my own feet to measure this corner of Dunhuang. I checked the route on my phone and found that I had to walk more than ten kilometers, which felt fine. I usually walk 2 kilometers to work, so the extra kilometers are not a big deal. Following the navigation route, there are some grape fields along the way. Occasionally at the fork in the road, one or two farmers will come out to sell their own grapes. I would also see some vehicles being stopped and purchased. I was walking on this road alone. There was no one, only vehicles coming and going, and I saw one or two B&Bs from time to time. I was curious why no one was walking. I guess it was because it was not close to the city and there were not many people. This situation has been going on for a long time and has never stopped.

Finally, I started to approach the city. As I walked, a special building caught my eye. I asked a passerby: "Where is that place?" She said: "Mosque" and I asked: "Can I go in?" She shook her head: "If you can't go in, you won't be allowed to visit." Although it deviated from the route I wanted to take, it was not far away, so I turned around and took a look. After walking there, I felt as if I had walked through the alleys and roads there before. Do all the streets in Dunhuang give people the same feeling? They are quaint and the same length, so it feels like I have seen them before. I looked at the mosque on the opposite side of the street. It covered a large area. It should be the largest mosque in Dunhuang. Because I couldn't go in, I took a few photos and left.

 

 

 

Dunhuang Mosque

 

 

 

Next, we were not far from the Dunhuang Museum. It was already noon when I got there. I went to the museum first without eating. There is no charge for the museum, but you need to use your ID card to get tickets. The museum has local characteristics, and the walls have the feel of a cave. Then you start walking up the tour path designed by it. There are various historical relics in the museum. There will be a QR code next to it. You can scan the code to listen to the explanation. . When I walked down after the visit, I found a brand exhibition in the central hall on the first floor. I walked over and took a look. Each of her products was designed with patterns and colors based on Dunhuang mural elements. In my opinion, it was quite an excellent piece of work. At first glance, she was introduced to have designed designs for many celebrities. This time I entered the museum, and the exhibits of her brand impressed me the most, and they are worth learning from.

When I came out of the museum, I was already dizzy from hunger. It was already two o'clock, so I just went to the nearest restaurant to eat. They were still in the Dunhuang Museum, and it seemed that they had no intention of coming back. I checked where I was going next. When I remembered that I had just been in the museum, I saw an introduction about Leiyin Temple. I checked that the route was only two kilometers long, and the end of the road was Mingsha Mountain. I wanted to go all the way. We walked over and gathered directly at Mingsha Mountain just when they came back. I think this is a good idea. I don’t know how big Dunhuang is, but I have walked through the best parts of it with both feet, and I instantly felt that I was so awesome. After eating and drinking enough, I feel more energetic when walking. On the way, I saw one of their middle schools, research institutes, and government agencies. The buildings all have local characteristics. I also saw beautiful flowers blooming on the way. I felt that I received a lot of goods along the way. I don’t know how long I walked, but I arrived at Leiyin Temple. It was on the other side of the road I was taking.

When I entered the temple, I saw only a few people and almost no tourists. I walked inside alone. There was no big difference between Leiyin Temple and other temples. The further I walked in, I found that it was bigger than I expected. I thought I would be able to leave within ten minutes of walking in. It is a pity that such a big place has so little popularity. I like the layout of the buildings at the end the most. It feels like I'm in an imperial palace. It's enough to visit for a while. At this time, I received a call from them and learned that they were going to ask the master to pick them up at the Digital Exhibition Center. They asked for my location. I asked them to go directly to Mingsha Mountain to find me. So I left Leiyin Temple and walked towards Mingsha Mountain. This place is very close to Mingsha Mountain, and I saw that they were not coming so quickly. I found a Dunhuang Folk Experience Village on the way, so I turned in and walked around.

When I arrived at the Mingsha Mountain ticket office, they hadn't come yet, so I bought the tickets and went inside to check out the situation. Because today X Feng and I were going to ride camels, so we bought the camel riding tickets first. Fortunately, there were not many people, so I bought the tickets quickly and wanted to hold the tickets and wait for them to come. As a result, when I bought the ticket and wanted to leave, the staff told me that I had to ride a camel and leave immediately after buying the ticket. In desperation, I sold the tickets to someone else. I didn't know what to do with the two tickets at that time, but the staff decisively came up with this method and the solution was solved. I walked out of the camel base and saw the camel team heading towards the sand dunes in the distance. It was really spectacular. When I came here, there were not that many camels. I guess it was the off-season. I was still a student at that time, so I didn’t have the luxury to spend on these things. Now I have to make up for my shortcomings.

This place is much the same as before, with the exception that the road from the gate to Crescent Moon Spring has been paved with cement road, making it easier for attraction vehicles to pick up and drop off tourists. There is now a sandboarding project, and there are two long rope stairs next to it, allowing tourists to save effort when climbing the sand dunes. You know, you can’t reach the top in half an hour when you climb up, but you can finish it in a few minutes when you come down.

Later, when they arrived at Mingsha Mountain, it was already 18 o'clock, and we had to queue up again to buy camel riding tickets. By this time, the number of people queuing up to buy tickets was already several times as many as when I just bought the tickets. Yanan decided to ride a camel with us, while Kai Ge chose to climb the sand dunes instead of this entertainment project. Finally, we got the tickets and looked at how we were going to ride the camels. We were extremely excited. The camel's starting position is to start with the front feet first. The body will float a lot during the process, so you need to hold it firmly. Sitting on the camel, my body swayed with its rhythm. I held the handle with my left hand and recorded the video with my mobile phone in my right hand. Fortunately, the wind and sand had stopped by the time we got on the camels. Not long after I bought the ticket and came in, there was suddenly a storm of sand everywhere. I couldn't even open my eyes. As soon as I opened my eyes, there was sand in my eyes. The leader of the group skillfully directed the camels to follow his wishes, and soon they reached their destination and were about to turn back. I had to go back before I had enough fun, and I was reluctant to leave.

Later, we walked out of the camel base and then went to the top of the hill to watch the sunset. I didn’t know if we could make it in time. We worked hard on the rope ladder and finally reached the top. At this time, the sun was almost gone. It was mainly cloudy and there was nothing to see. Starting this afternoon, the sky has changed here, with layers of thick clouds covering the entire sky, making it gloomy. It was cloudy and getting dark, so the photos we took did not satisfy us, so we simply sat on the top and waited to see the night view of Mingsha Mountain. It wasn't until 20 o'clock that the lights of Crescent Moon Spring were turned on, and not only us, but also many people were watching the brilliance of Crescent Moon Spring at night.

Last night we agreed to watch the sunrise at Mingsha Mountain in the morning. When I climbed to the best position, I saw light and clouds. I didn't know whether the sun had risen above the water level. When it emerged from the clouds, it had already risen to a certain position. It's okay to watch the sunrise. What's nice is that the weather is particularly good today. The blue sky that disappeared for a day has reappeared. What I like most about going out for fun is weather like this. So we took another wave of photos up there and went down after we had enough fun and photos. Brother Kai didn't know where he went, he came up before us. We didn’t go to Crescent Moon Spring yesterday, so we will make up for it today. Now for the buildings in Crescent Moon Spring, I remember that no one walked up there when I came here before, but now there are many people gathering on them. Everyone knows that the water of Crescent Moon Spring is now a landscape that can only be formed by pumping water into it. But this does not affect its reputation. It is the best among Dunhuang's many natural landscapes. It has been famous for its "desert wonders" throughout the ages and is known as "one of the most beautiful scenery outside the Great Wall". We took photos at Crescent Moon Spring as a souvenir, and at ten o'clock the master urged us to go back slowly and take the bus.

The next stop is Jiayuguan. It takes several hours of driving to reach Jiayuguan. On the way, the master shared with us the beliefs and customs of the Hui people, which made these few hours less boring. It was already 16:00 when we arrived at Jiayuguan. There is not much time left to play.

Jiayuguan, known as "the most majestic pass in the world", is located in the middle of the narrowest valley 5 kilometers west of Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province. The walls on both sides of the city pass cross the Gobi desert and are connected to the Black Mountain Suspended Wall to the north and the world's most majestic pier to the south. It is the westernmost pass of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. It was once known as the Throat of Hexi Province in history. Because of its dangerous terrain and majestic architecture, it is known as the key to the continuous border. Jiayuguan is a transportation fortress on the ancient "Silk Road" and one of the three wonders of the Great Wall of China (Shanhaiguan in the east, Zhenbeitai in the middle, and Jiayuguan in the west). Jiayuguan was built in the fifth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1372). It consists of the inner city, the outer city, Luocheng, Wengcheng, moats and the north and south Great Walls, with a total length of about 60 kilometers. The Great Wall is dotted with platforms, piers, and forts. It consists of three lines of defense: the inner city, the outer city, and the moat. They overlap and defend, forming a defense of one fire for five miles, one pier for ten miles, one fort for thirty miles, and one city for one hundred miles. system. Except for Yanan, the three of us went in to see this wonderful masterpiece of the ancients. Jiayuguan consists of three overlapping defense lines: the inner city, the outer city, and the moat, which are heavily fortified. First we entered an ancient city wall, which should be the starting point of the western end of the Great Wall. Walking in, you will find the outer city. The tower looks majestic and tall. We followed the direction of the crowd, walked up the stairs and walked up to the tower. Stand on the gate of the city wall and feel this "the most majestic pass in the world". We walked along the city wall. This place is so big. We should have walked to the inner city. The inner city is wide in the west and narrow in the east. It is slightly trapezoidal. The city is 9 meters high. There are two gates, "Gwanghwamun" and "Yoyuanmun" in the east and west. There is an urn city built outside each gate. The towers are symmetrical, with three floors, three eaves and five bays, surrounded by corridors, with a single eaves resting on the top of the mountain, 17 meters high. There are turrets at the four corners of the city, watchtowers in the middle of the south and north walls, and three rooms on the first floor with a front porch. There is a horse road on the north side of the two gates reaching the top of the city. We browsed in order, and then when we reached the end, there was a closed door. There seemed to be another road outside. I didn’t know where it led, and there were people coming from that direction. The time has come and we rush out immediately. This time, I couldn’t go to the Cantilever Great Wall and the first pier of the Great Wall, which was a bit regretful.

At the end of today, we checked into the hotel in Jiuquan.

The most powerful pass in the world

Jiayuguan

 

J IA and Guan

The main attractions in Jiayuguan include Jiayuguan City, Hanging Wall,

The first pier of the Great Wall, Wei and Jin tombs, Black Mountain Stone Carvings, Mulan City,

The "July 1" glacier, gliding base and other natural and cultural landscapes.

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At 7:30 in the morning, we set off towards the Jinta Populus euphratica forest. The weather was gloomy early in the morning. We thought it would clear up at dawn, but the result was disappointing. Populus euphratica is most beautiful if it has the support of the blue sky. It seems that I will leave some regrets today. The first place we went to was Fengsui Observation Tower. We wanted to get a bird's eye view from a high place so that the leaves would not turn yellow and it would be cloudy. It's not as beautiful as I imagined. Since I'm here, I'll take a good look at it. The temperature is a bit cold now, so I wore a sweater and a down jacket to resist the cold wind. This place is really big and there are no signs, so we just followed the crowd. The scenery became more beautiful as we went in, mainly because many of the Populus euphratica forests inside had turned yellow, so we became interested in taking pictures again. But the place was too big. Not long after we arrived at the best viewing point, the master asked us to go out. Jinbo Lake is surrounded by Populus euphratica, and now we can only leave in a hurry. It was a pity that I spent too long on the previous section.

We walked towards the colorful danxia in Zhangye. Along the way, as we headed towards Zhangye, the sky gradually became clearer. It seemed that the weather here was not bad, and we felt happy again. When we arrive at our destination, we need to buy tickets first and then take a tour bus to sightsee. When we arrived at the first viewing point, we saw that the mountain was amazingly intertwined with layers, steep rock walls, majestic, strange in shape, and colorful, including red, yellow, white, green and blue, and the colors undulated along the mountain. It is wavy, and some are inserted diagonally from the top of the mountain to the roots of the mountain, like a diagonally spread colored cloth. Under the sunlight, it seems to be covered with a layer of red gauze, shining, and the colors are extremely bright, which makes people amazed. I also saw a helicopter ride, which was a bit expensive. After all, from a God’s perspective, it didn’t feel suitable for our consumption level. The same goes for the second attraction you enter later. The sun was about to set, so we decided to skip the third viewing point in the middle and go to the fourth viewing point. Because we have to get to the No. 4 scenic spot for watching the sunset before the sun goes down. Anyway, the colorful Danxia landforms here are similar. No matter when you get on the bus or when you have to queue up to the mountain after getting off the bus, it is always crowded with people. In my opinion this kind of landscape is also very unique. We can only move forward step by step along with the flow of people. This place is the most crowded time in the past few days. After all, the road is narrow and the viewing time is the best in this place. Everyone wants to see the most beautiful scenery. I also saw a hot air balloon here. It would be a good choice to stand on a hot air balloon and watch it. As we approached the heights, the sun was already on the top of the mountain. It's almost time to catch up. The sunset did not amaze me, but the flow of people amazed me. It was also the first time I encountered it.

 

① They are all human beings

 

② In the evening

 

We stayed in a youth hostel in Zhangye that night. This was my first time staying in a youth hostel. This youth hostel was full of literary and artistic atmosphere, and the environment was better than my impression of youth hostels!

Today I am leaving for Xining, which is considered to have completed the circuit of this trip. As a result, in the morning, there was a heavy fog, making it difficult to see within a few hundred meters. We were still worried that we would not be able to see the Qilian Mountains later, but after we left Zhangye, the weather improved. When we arrived at the place where we could see the Qilian Mountains from a distance, the master stopped the car and asked us to get down and watch the Qilian Mountains from a distance. Although it was still cloudy, we could already see the Qilian Mountains and the Snow Mountains in the distance. After that, we continued to move forward. The weather gradually improved, and we could still see the blue sky on some sections of the road. We passed by the Qilian Prairie, and the grass was now withered and yellow. If it were spring, it would definitely be beautiful, and it would definitely feel like a mobile Windows desktop. We traveled all the way to the Banshan Observation Deck. Due to the weather, we only saw a gray area and could not see the Gangshika Snow Peak in the distance, so we did not stay too long. When passing by Heiquan Reservoir, it looks a bit like Kanas, Xinjiang. There are beautiful views on both sides of the road, and when you see the houses, the people who live here are really happy.

We arrived at Xining Station at 17:00, and at 21:00 we took the high-speed train to bid farewell to this beautiful northwest. X Feng and I took a train to Chengdu. The train wouldn't arrive until ten o'clock the next day. So we rested on the train.

We got off the train, checked in our things, and then had lunch. We spent one afternoon exploring Chengdu. Take the high-speed train to Chongqing at 21 o'clock in the evening. Because we didn’t have much time, we didn’t go see the pandas. We walked to Wenshu Monastery. Wenshu Monastery faces south and covers an area of ​​more than 200,000 square meters. The palace has five levels. Walking in from the mountain gate are the Heavenly King's Hall, the Three Great Scholars' Hall, the Main Hall, the Dharma Hall, and the Sutra Collection Building. It is integrated with the bell tower, dining hall, gallery and other buildings on the east and west sides. It is solemn, simple and spacious, and is a typical Qing Dynasty building. There are Zen, Guan, Ke, Zhai, Jie and Buddhist chanting halls and ministry rooms on both sides. The halls are connected by long corridors and dense columns, forming a closed courtyard. There are more than 190 buildings in the hospital, with a construction area of ​​more than 20,000 square meters. The house is made of wood and stone, with finely carved pillar foundation stones and exquisitely carved brackets on the pillars. We stayed there for a long time, then walked around the alleys around it and bought some local snacks to try. Soon after dinner time came, we checked on Baidu to see how far we were from the hot pot restaurant recommended by others. It turned out that the journey was a bit awkward, walking was a bit far, and taking a car seemed a bit inconvenient, but riding a bicycle should be just right. So we decided to ride the shared bicycles there, with X Feng leading the way. I haven’t ridden a bicycle for a long time, and my skills are average. If it weren’t for the fact that there are bicycle paths here, I wouldn’t have considered riding. I felt good after riding it. Riding on the streets of Chengdu had a unique flavor. In this way, we felt the slow life of Chengdu for an afternoon. Next we wanted to try Chengdu hot pot, but when we got there we found that there was already a long queue, so we had to choose another hot pot restaurant.

After eating and drinking, we walked to Kuanzhai Alley. The distance between them is not very far. There was a lot of excitement when we got there, and since we didn't have much time, we just walked around for a while and walked out from another place. We took the subway back to pick up our things and then took the subway to the high-speed rail station. We found that there was not enough time. It was very likely that we were not allowed to check the tickets during the security check. We were afraid that we would not be able to make it in time. It is best to change the ticket before driving, otherwise the ticket Void. So we agreed that after X Feng got off the subway, she rushed to the rebooking office to change her ticket for the next bus, and I would take her luggage and follow her. Later, we met at the ticket change office. The next bus would be after 22:00, and after all, we still couldn't escape this bus. We looked at the time. If we should have just caught up at a faster pace, there would be a risk. There were not many people on the train after 22 o'clock, and it was quite empty. She and I were the only ones in the carriage, so we asked the flight attendants to go to other carriages.

We arrived at Chongqing West Railway Station half an hour later. We lived not far from the station, within one kilometer. We chose to live there for convenience. Unexpectedly, there is a road across the road, which happened to be closed and under reconstruction. We didn't know how to get there when we first arrived. It rained suddenly, so we decided to take a taxi there. Someone else saw that it was difficult for the two of us to get a taxi, so they squeezed in and took us there together. The driver complained along the way, "I really didn't pay for it. You see, it's probably more than ten kilometers to go around each other across the road." He was indeed right, it was a long detour, and I was grateful to the kind driver for being willing to take us both. The driver took us to our destination, we contacted the hotel and finally checked in. I thought I had run out of bad luck today, but when I was checking my order, I discovered that the check-in time I selected when I placed the order was September 6th, and now it is October 6th. That was exactly one month ago, and it is the month. Didn't choose the right one. This order was wasted. The receptionist gave us the previous price and placed another order. The matter was finally solved. I felt remorseful, blaming myself for being too careless, and I couldn't help X Feng. Fortunately, there is a room, otherwise there would be no place to stay tonight. It was already 1 a.m. when we went to bed. Today was really a toss-up and not smooth.